


the boy who has stopped in time

by kaiohtic



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-01-11
Packaged: 2019-10-08 15:53:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17389301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaiohtic/pseuds/kaiohtic
Summary: Sehun wakes up with the name Jongin on his lips.





	1. Chapter 1

“Jongin.”  
  
“Hm? What did you say?” Kyungsoo asks absentmindedly. Of course, Sehun’s roommate is too busy studying for the upcoming university entrance exams to really pay attention to what Sehun is doing or saying. Sehun should be studying as well, but he is too occupied with this odd feeling he got right after waking up. It’s not a bad kind of feeling, rather, he feels warm and happy, but he can’t recall what he has been dreaming about – he can’t recall what exactly is the cause for this fuzzy warm feeling inside of his chest, and that is the strange part. He really wants to know.  
  
“Jongin,” he repeats quietly, and that name alone – he supposes it is a person’s name – is making that happy feeling bubble up inside of him. Something good must have happened in that dream of his, though he can’t quite explain why he feels this way about a stranger’s name.  
  
“Is there anyone named Jongin here? At our school?” Sehun asks, question directed at Kyungsoo who is still scribbling down notes furiously, judging by the sound of graphite scratching on paper.  
  
Here, that would be the boarding school Sehun has spent the past three years in, minus vacation time, of course. He would always return home or go on trips with his friends during the few weeks of break they get.  
  
“Jongin? I don’t think so,” Kyungsoo says. Ah, so Kyungsoo did listen to him just now. A true master of multi-tasking.  
  
“No new transfer student?” Sehun asks, just to make sure.  
  
“No new kid,” Kyungsoo confirms. And now that he thinks about it, it makes no sense for someone to transfer to a new school so close before university entrance exams. Now is the most crucial time to focus onto studies. Nonetheless, Sehun would like to solve the mystery around that Jongin person. For some reason, he just can’t stop thinking about that strange yet familiar name. It’s distracting at the most inconvenient time.  
  
“Sehun, you should revise, too,” Kyungsoo reminds him. “I know you’re not stupid, but even a smart kid should prepare for these exams. You want a scholarship, too, right? And no, having a hangover is no excuse for you to take a break from your studies.”  
  
Sehun huffs. “I don’t have a hangover.”  
  
“You came back late yesterday, maybe around three in the morning,” Kyungsoo replies with that same calm tone that might seem emotionless or disinterested to other people, but Sehun knows that his roommate is a good guy. He is worried about Sehun who – according to Kyungsoo, that is – reminds him of a small, innocent pup who would get himself into trouble because of his curiosity and his naivety.  
  
“Strange,” Sehun mumbles in reply. He sneaked out of the dorms and let Kyungsoo cover for him the night before to attend a friend’s party, but he remembers very well that he went home before the  _fun_  part started. He went home before everyone got so drunk that they wouldn’t be able to make it back home or to the dorms. It was definitely before midnight when Sehun made his departure, and it surely doesn’t take three hours to return to the dorms. He only had one shot of soju, too, not even close to enough to get him slightly tipsy. How come he can’t remember how he made his way back to the dorms?  
  
“Anyhow, get up and ready,” Kyungsoo says and closes his textbook with a loud clap. “Junmyeon is probably waiting.”  
  
At that, Sehun gets up with an annoyed grumble and heads towards the bathroom to get ready for the day. There are no classes on Saturdays but Junmyeon is probably waiting for everyone to show up to the group study session. He shouldn’t keep his friend waiting.  
  
  
  
  
  
After thinking for a whole, Sehun supposes that there is a good chance that the Jongin he is looking for might be someone he met at the party. Where else would Sehun have picked up that name? And so, he tries to discreetly ask around for someone named Jongin. Except he can’t be all that discreet when people are interested in the reason why he is looking for Jongin, more so when he doesn’t know anything about that Jongin. Sehun can’t describe his appearance, nor can he give some more information about the person he is searching for.  
  
What’s even stranger though, is that the moment he is introduced to a boy named Lee Jongin, he knows immediately that it is not the one he is looking for. Lee Jongin seems like a nice guy, but he doesn’t give Sehun that warm and pleasantly fuzzy feeling that lingered for hours after Sehun has woken up that morning. So as awkward as it is, he apologizes to said boy and tells him he’s not the one he has been looking for.  
  
“So, who exactly are you looking for then? And do you really need to look for that Jongin? What if it’s just an imaginary person your mind came up with?” Kyungsoo asks several days later. And Sehun doesn’t know how to reply to that because Kyungsoo has a point. Why looking for someone or something he doesn’t even know? He should forget about it – if only it was easy to forget.  
  
  
  
  
  
Usually, Sehun sleeps like a rock. There is nothing that could wake him the moment he enters the phase of deep slumber. At least, that’s what his previous roommates have been saying and they have shown him videos as proof. And yet, at this hour of the night when he is supposed to be in deep, deep slumber, he is woken up by the sound of someone knocking against the window right next to his bed. It's not even an aggressive kind of knocking, but rather a gentle, careful one. One that is meant to only wake up Sehun and not his roommate Kyungsoo.  
  
But wait. How could anyone knock against his window? Sehun's room is on the fourth floor. There is no way anyone could reach his window. And yet he sees a hand in the dark, then the silhouette of a person. But instead of feeling scared and alarming the whole orphanage, his intuition leads him to open the window. It might be a dream anyways.  
  
Sehun is astonished to see a boy, around his age or possibly younger, floating midair. He is lying on his back, leisurely, without any signs of worry. It is almost as if he was boasting about his ability to fly. That boy has the widest grin on his face, too, and the air around him seems to be different – so full of life and vibrancy. Sehun can’t even explain what that means or how he can see or feel that in the dark of the night, but that’s just how it is. And even before that strange boy speaks up Sehun already knows one thing for sure. This boy is Jongin, and Jongin must be his best friend in the realm of dreams.  
  
“Sehun, did you make a decision yet?” Jongin asks and Sehun can't reply for two reasons. One, he is still amazed by Jongin's floating skills, or more precisely by the way he is dancing through the air, and two, Sehun has no idea what Jongin is talking about. He can't remember his previous dream and he can’t remember what kind of decision Jongin is expecting.  
  
“You need to tell me,” Jongin urges and pivots forward, closer to the window, and in the dim light Sehun can see the other boy's pouty expression. It looks both cute and silly, and Sehun almost bursts out in laughter. But in that moment Jongin decides to extend a hand and reach out for Sehun who simply takes that hand without a second thought. And instead of laughing, Sehun's mouth just opens for a soundless scream as he is being pulled out into the night sky. Jongin might be able to fly, but Sehun isn’t. He can feel the gravity pulling him downwards.  
  
“What the hell! Jongin, bring me back to my bed!” He shouts and holds on to Jongin for dear life. Sehun isn't ready to die, not even in his dreams.  
  
“Krys, come help!” Jongin says, voice tinged with amusement. He must have fun seeing Sehun all panicky, but Sehun can't help it. He isn't afraid of heights but he is definitely afraid of falling from such a height, dream or no dream.  
  
“Oh, Krys, come on!”  
  
Sehun fully expects another flying kid to show up and help Jongin carry him back into the safe confines of his room, but instead there is a tiny ball of light twirling around him. It's like a little star moving in a circle on top of Sehun's head, but as he looks more carefully, he can see that it's a tiny glowing fairy, and a pretty one at that. Her eyes are bright blue, her golden hair shining, and her smile as mischievous as Jongin’s. Her wings are almost bigger than her body, like wings of a butterfly, but Krys's are translucent and as they flutter, there is golden dust raining down on Sehun's head.  
  
Unfortunately, Sehun makes the mistake to tilt his head up for better view and he exhales the dust. His first thought is one of wonder since he hasn't expected these particles to be real, material dust – they seemed to be light at first – but his second thought is one of terror. The dust has caused him to sneeze and during that process he has let go of Jongin.  
  
“Help me!” Sehun shrieks in horror, but Jongin seems to find entertainment in his dire situation.  
  
“You can fly too if you think of something nice and happy,” Jongin instructs. As if that could be true! Even dreams follow the physics of Earth so gravitation exists here as well. Humans like Sehun could never do that trick unless he suddenly grows wings in this rather realistic dream.  
  
“Come on, pixie dust and happy thoughts, with that combination anyone can fly!” Jongin explains, but as he does, he is flying towards Sehun to catch him last minute. Just a few more moments and the impact of his fall might have killed him.  
  
“Bullshit,” Sehun says and huffs. “I’m a human, I can’t fly.”  
  
“Sure you can,” Jongin argues back and grins. They keep flying higher and higher up. Sehun really wants to return to the safety of his dorm room, but he finds it hard to tell Jongin so. It seems like his friend – they must be friends for Jongin to visit him like this, right? – really wants to play now and Sehun is okay with entertaining the other for a while longer.  
  
“Is there something that you really, really like? Something that makes you really, really happy when you think about it?” Jongin asks.  
  
Sehun thinks about it for a minute and he recalls the pleasant feeling he had a few days ago. The same feeling he has now with Jongin around. Is it Jongin who makes him happy?  
  
“Wait, no, don’t let go!” Sehun shouts when he feels Jongin’s grip slipping away. Jongin just grins at him and that is when he notices that he is not racing down towards the concrete. He is floating in the air as well, a bit wobbly and awkwardly, but he is floating nonetheless.  
  
“I told you, pixie dust and happy thoughts!” Jongin says and he kinda sounds arrogant with that triumphant tone underneath. Sehun doesn’t mind though. He admits that he has been wrong. Instead of defending his pride, he wants to know how he can hone this skill. He wants to be able to fly like a bird at least. He knows that he lacks the elegance and grace and would never be able to dance through the air like a prima ballerina – or like Jongin.  
  
“Easy peasy,” Jongin laughs and claps his hands. Sehun does the same, unsure if his lesson in flight has already started or not.  
  
“Keep thinking happy thoughts and don’t fear the height! Feel happy about flying freely like a bird and move your arms as if they were wings!”  
  
It’s easier said than done, but somehow Sehun manages to move forward. His arms are paddling through the air, not quite like a bird, but it helps. And with every little inch he moves forward his whole body is filled with more and more euphoria. A little cockiness might be needed, too, overconfidence and absolute trust in the magics of pixie dust and happiness. Jongin is moving further up and Sehun follows, the little pixie right beside him, which he is thankful for. As beginner, he might need a bit more pixie dust than Jongin the veteran.  
  
There is no denial that this is fun though. They are dancing in the air, and Sehun mimics all the moves Jongin is showing off to him in a more or less clumsy way. They jump from cloud to cloud and Sehun swears he can feel how cottony they are, no different from cotton candy, except they aren’t sticky and they’re not melting away either.  
  
“Let’s go, you had enough practice now,” Jongin says, and Sehun grabs the hand that Jongin is holding out again. Krys, in the meantime, has settled down on Jongin’s shoulder, and together they are heading to a destination still unknown to Sehun.  
  
“We’re going back to Neverland,” Jongin explains to him. “It’s the greatest place that ever existed. Full of fun and adventures. You will love it!”  
  
And in that moment, Jongin’s enthusiasm is so contagious that Sehun believes him without a single doubt clouding his mind.  
  
  
  
  
  
Jongin leads him to the direction of Namsan Tower that is still illuminated at night. And it’s not only Namsan Tower where the lights are still turned on. There are still cars on the streets and lightboards everywhere, and from up here, it all looks pretty.  
  
“Is it far away?” Sehun asks, and Jongin shakes his head.  
  
“It takes a while, but it’s not that far,” the other responds. “Come on, let’s speed up a bit.”  
Jongin’s grip tightens a bit as they gain speed. It’s thrilling to watch the landscape beneath them grow smaller and smaller, until he sees nothing but tiny little dots of light. They leave Seoul behind in a thick fog that seems to be separating the earth with the space, though Sehun isn’t quite sure if that is what he has learned in school. Shouldn’t he have difficulties with breathing now at such a height?  
  
“Almost there,” Jongin announces, his voice holding so much excitement that it’s hard for Sehun to focus on his train of thoughts. And then, not even a minute later, the fog lightens and Sehun sees what other people might call a paradise on earth, except he’s not too sure if this is still on earth. How come it’s broad daylight here while just a moment ago Seoul city was covered in darkness?  
  
“Where are we?” Sehun asks. They have stopped moving forward and are now floating above an island that offers a multitude of different landscapes that could never coexist like that in the real world. Sehun must really be dreaming and both this place and Jongin must be creations of his mind.  
  
“Welcome to Neverland,” Jongin says and Sehun can only shake his head in disbelief. There are white sand beaches along the south side of the island and high cliffs on the opposite side. Sehun is certain there must be caves hiding on that other side, too, but he is not quite sure if he would like to explore that side as it is covered in white. Sehun assumes it must be snow and ice.  
  
It is strange how different the climate between the northern part and the southern part of the island could be. Going further down the island, there is a chain of mountains that seems to be the separation line between what Sehun would call Winter Wonderland and Tropical Island.  
The center of the island is dominated by the color green. It’s a jungle, and in midst of it there’s a volcano which Sehun eyes with both fear and fascination. He would like to take a closer look at it, but seeing natural catastrophes on the television makes him wary of actually wanting to experience it.  
  
It’s not only green and white though. There is a yellowish orange part of the island, too, the desert, Sehun supposes. It is a lot more colorful than he ever imagined a desert could be. If he looks closely, he thinks he can see more reddish and even some sort of pink sand as well.  
  
There is also a river running across the island. It seems to end in a lake, and Jongin is now pulling at his hand, leading Sehun to go closer to that lake. What he hasn’t realizes from far up in the sky is that there is a waterfall. The water is following the river until it crashes down into the lake.  
  
The closer they get, the more Sehun is overwhelmed by the beauty of this place. Neverland is, the same way Jongin is – full of color and life. He can hear the sound of exotic birds chirping, their melodies different from what he is used to at home. Not that he can hear birds chirping a lot in a metropole like Seoul.  
  
“I’m sure the mermaids will love you,” Jongin says, and Sehun gives the other a skeptical glance. Mermaids? He can’t spot them anywhere.  
  
“Hey, girls,” Jongin shouts and for a moment, nothing happens. But then, one by one, the mermaids submerge from the water to sit on the rocks all scattered around the lake. They’re winking at Jongin, some blowing kisses, while others seem very disinterested as they are chatting with each other and brushing their hair.  
  
“Let me introduce you to Sehun,” Jongin continues in a loud, booming voice. They are close to the water now, and all of a sudden Jongin gives him a hard shove and Sehun careens right into the water with a loud splash. He resurfaces a few moments later, spluttering and yelling profanities at Jongin who is hovering in the air above him. The mermaids seem entertained as they laugh and giggle, some trying their best to conceal their amusement.  
  
“You look like a wet poodle,” Jongin laughs, and Sehun takes a leap forward and grabs Jongin’s foot to pull the other down into the water. It seems like Jongin has expected that though, because they’re not moving back into the water, but instead they are moving further up towards the sky.  
  
The game changes quickly though. The mermaids are quick to help Sehun and they are hanging onto him to pull Jongin down into the water with them. It’s all funny at first, with Jongin screaming and struggling to fly higher, but the weight of Sehun and probably half a dozen of mermaids is weighing him down. They are all submerged in the water now, and no matter how much Jongin struggles, they aren’t letting go.  
  
Sehun is getting water in his mouth and nose now, and struggles as well, hoping the mermaids would understand and let him go. Dying in an accident like this doesn’t sound too appealing when he is at the start of his adventure. He doesn’t want to wake up from this dream yet, there is still so much more to discover of this unknown land.  
  
Luckily for him, the girls let go immediately, except for one. She is perhaps the prettiest among them all, her hair the color of pink coral and her skin as fair as snow. She is smiling at him coyly for a second before pressing their lips together. Sehun’s eyes grow wide as he never expected to be kissed by a mermaid. His lips tingle a bit, then his whole body starts tingling, too, and for some reason he feels so light now.  
  
“Damn, Sehun,” Jongin says, and Sehun looks at Jongin with confusion. How come the other can talk underwater. Jongin is neither fish nor merman, is he?  
  
“Seems like the princess likes you a whole lot,” Jongin says and laughs, even as the princess elbows him. She is blushing, and so is Sehun. He can feel how warm his cheeks are.  
  
“She volunteered to rescue you. You know, a mermaid’s kiss can help you survive underwater. At least, for a while. You’d need to make out quite a lot if you plan on living here with her though,” Jongin explains.  
  
And now Sehun understands why he is feeling so light. He is still a bit wary though. If he opens his mouth to speak like Jongin does, won’t he swallow a whole lot of water and fill his lungs with it? Won’t he die then? But then again, this is a fantasy world. The logic by which the real world he knows functions don’t necessarily apply here. It only takes a bit of pixie dust for him to fly, why would a mermaid’s kiss not make him able to live underwater for a bit?  
  
“Come on, let’s go,” Jongin says. “Irene says she wants you to see the beauty of the world underwater.”  
  
The princess – Sehun supposes that’s Irene – gives Jongin another shove, her cheeks now colored light pink. She looks lovely like that, prettier even, and when she reaches out a hand, Sehun doesn’t hesitate. He grabs it firmly in his and swims alongside her, Jongin on his other side with another mermaid in tow, and when he looks back, he sees the other girls following. It seems like mermaids aren’t too different from fish. They like being in a swarm, always moving together as a group, and Sehun quite likes that. He likes being surrounded by family and friends, too. And speaking of which, he wishes he could let them see this world as well. He just hopes that he can remember this dream and write it down to share with everyone.  
  
The world underwater is a lot more colorful than Sehun expected. Hidden in the depths of the sea, even in the darkest parts, there are colors and lights. This underwater world is so much different from what he has seen on television or in books. Where the sun can’t reach, there are exotic looking fish glowing in the dark and leading the way. Their light is enough to illuminate a small area around them and show glimpses of colorful coral reefs.  
  
The sea, Sehun learns, is not dominated by green-blueish colors. There are reds, pinks, and orange as well. Maybe it’s because this is a fantasy world and not the world he knows? Nonetheless, Sehun finds his mouth open in awe. This dream is too colorful and vibrant, the feelings too intense – how could this all be just a dream? But mermaids don’t exist, right? It’s all just figments of a fantasy.  
  
“Where are we heading to?” Sehun asks. The mermaid princess turns her face towards him and smiles secretively. It makes him wonder if a mere human like him could communicate with her. They might not speak the same language. Or perhaps, they can’t speak because they don’t have vocal chords like humans?  
  
“Jongin,” Sehun says and he is still a little amazed that opening his mouth and swallowing water doesn’t kill him. “You probably know where we’re going, right?”  
  
But Jongin, too, is only smiling at him secretively and Sehun is left to pout because he seems to be the only one not knowing about their plans and whereabouts, although this is his dream. Or maybe not. Maybe he’s in Jongin’s dream now, the moment he accepted the other’s invitation and followed him. That would make sense, too.  
  
The whole group continues swimming for a while. His initial fascination has died down a bit, now that Sehun has gotten used to the view. They dived close to the ground and are now following a path, it seems, through coral reefs of different colors, until they reach a cave.  
Irene stops all of a sudden and so does the swarm of mermaids. She lets go of Sehun’s hand and within the blink of an eye he finds his face being cupped by her hands and her lips pressed firmly on his. Sure, it’s not the first time he kissed a girl, but this is the first – or well, the second time – it’s happening in front of watching eyes. And it’s not just a simple kiss like earlier, Irene is rather aggressive despite her sweet appearance. If they weren’t underwater, he would say that she was trying to kiss the air out of him.  
  
“Okay, I think that’s enough,” Jongin says and clears his throat, and that is when Irene pulls away from Sehun with a sweet smile. She gives him a wink and motions for Sehun to enter the cave first, this time not offering a guiding hand.  
  
“Uhm,” Sehun says, unsure if he wants to enter that place. It looks eerily dark inside and there are no lamp-fishes to lighten up the place.  
  
“Are you not coming with us?” Sehun asks and Irene shakes her head.  
  
“Don’t worry, I’ll be with you,” Jongin says and takes Sehun’s hand, and for some reason it calms him down. Sehun feels less anxious with Jongin around, and it might have to do with how confident Jongin is. Nothing bad could happen with his friend around, right? After all, Jongin knows this place very well.  
  
“Alright, let’s go then,” Sehun says and is pulled forward immediately.  
  
If Sehun thought Jongin only looked graceful dancing in the air, then he was wrong. Jongin looks graceful in the water as well, his movements strong, yet fluid as he twirls around in the water. Sehun can only shake his head, knowing that the other is just showing off, but he can’t help thinking that if this Jongin in his dream were to exist in the real world, Jongin would be a dancer. That is, if Jongin isn’t just simply a figure made up by Sehun’s mind.  
  
“Jongin, what are we doing here?” Sehun asks as they dive deeper into the cave.  
  
“Taking a fun shortcut back to the island?” Jongin suggests but that doesn’t clear Sehun’s doubt. He doesn’t understand how swimming through this dark cave could be a fun was to return to the land. There is nothing remotely fun about being unable to see where he is going. Sehun has to keep one hand at the cave’s wall so he wouldn’t accidentally bump into it like he did in the first minute down here. It hurts a lot, and Sehun has the feeling that the rough walls have left nasty scratches on his skin, not deep enough for him to bleed, but painful nonetheless, especially with the salty ocean water around him.  
  
“Trust me, you’ll love this shortcut!” Jongin says, confident as ever.  
  
Sehun stops questioning the other although he is skeptical. There are weird sounds coming from the depths of the cave, and Sehun isn’t too sure if he wants to get closer to whatever is hiding there. Possibly a monster? Jongin didn’t say that they had to defeat some creature before they could get back to the island.  
  
“Come on, slowpoke,” Jongin says and pulls harder at Sehun’s hand, forcing Sehun to put in a bit more efforts in swimming. That strange noise is getting louder and louder, and Sehun swears he heard a roar. But then, all of a sudden, Jongin starts to grip his hand tighter and Sehun opens his mouth to complain. Jongin is laughing as Sehun screams in terror when he finds himself being pushed around by some unknown forces.  
  
They are moving up, the water pushing them forward and up. Sehun tries to stick to Jongin with all his might, his other hand reaching out for Jongin’s shoulder, and the next moment he finds one of Jongin’s arms around his waist. Sehun closes his eyes and presses his face against Jongin’s chest, but the other shouts and tells him to open his eyes and look around, so Sehun does. He lifts his head and peers over Jongin’s shoulder, finding their surroundings to be lighter now. The cave is still dark, but there are small colorful lights everywhere. They seem to be stuck onto the wall, and as they keep moving, the different colors blur into lines of color until it looks like they’re in a rollercoaster, moving through a rainbow tunnel.  
  
A few moments later, it’s all over. The water kept pushing them through the tunnel, until it spews them out in a fountain. Sehun screams yet again as they are blown up into the air, and he closes his eyes, praying that they won’t fall and land onto one of the rocks. They don’t.  
After a minute of nothing happening, Sehun opens his eyes and looks around. Jongin is holding on to him and they are floating in air.  
  
“Damn, you scream like a teenage girl,” Jongin says and Sehun would like to shove the other in embarrassment, but he refrains from doing so, least Jongin might let go and then Sehun will surely end up with a few broken bones.  
  
“That was scary, not fun,” Sehun complains. Jongin is moving towards the ground and lets go of Sehun once their feet are touching the sand underneath.  
  
“You’re lame.” Jongin just laughs it off as if it was nothing.  
  
“So why are the mermaids not using the tunnel?” Sehun asks and looks around. They are in the middle of a rather sad looking landscape. It’s just grey sand and rocks everywhere, as well as some puddles of water and geysers. It’s only now that Sehun notices how warm and humid the air feels around here.  
  
“That’s because it’s too much trouble going back to the sea from here,” Jongin explains patiently. “The water is too strong, so they can’t go against the water. They would need someone to pick them up here and fly them back to any water that connects to the ocean.”  
  
Sehun just nods quietly. Yeah, that makes sense.  
  
“But it’s no trouble for you because you can fly, right?” Sehun asks for confirmation.  
  
“Yes, that’s correct.” Jongin looks as cocky as ever with that wide grin on his face.  
  
“But didn’t the water wash away all pixie dust?”  
  
“Yes, but I’m a pro,” Jongin says and Sehun really wants to hit him square in the face. How could Jongin be overflowing with so much confidence?  
  
“Then the pro should carry me back home,” Sehun huffs. He fully expects Jongin to laugh at him and tell him not to be a lazy bum and find his way back alone, but instead his friend is offering a hand.  
  
“Let’s go back together then.”


	2. Chapter 2

It turns out that what Sehun defines as home is not quite exactly what Jongin defines as home. Instead of waking up from this long, long dream, Jongin gives him a piggy back ride and kidnaps him to a place he calls the Headquarters. There is some sort of mechanism that opens up a door right in the stem of a possibly thousands of years old tree. Jongin pushes Sehun to go first and so he does, and slides down several meters before he lands onto a pile of pillows.  
  
“Hey, who are you? You are not Jongin!” A boy shouts. He is shorter than Sehun, but with the colors painted on his face like some sort of war paint and the boomerang in his hand, he seems ready to kill.  
  
“Guy, guys, guys!” Jongin’s voice comes booming through the hole Sehun just appeared from and a moment later he is thrown over by his friend.  
  
“Don’t fight him, this is Sehun, our newest family member!” Jongin says and only one second later Sehun finds himself sandwiched between several bodies. There are arms everywhere and they are hugging him a bit too tightly.  
  
“S-stop, please,” Sehun barely manages to say. “I can’t breathe!”  
  
It’s after Jongin tells everyone to get off him that Sehun can finally get up. He feels a bit dizzy though and leans against Jongin, while he eyes the three people in front of him who Jongin introduces as the Lost Boys, a bunch of kids who seem to be following Jongin’s orders without any complaints.  
  
“Jongin is the strongest boy on earth!” Baekhyun tells him and Sehun would say he’s making heart eyes towards Jongin. In general, all of the Lost Boys seem pretty infatuated with their hero Jongin.  
  
“Yeah, he defeated Captain Hook so easily!” Chanyeol adds on to that and that starts a whole story telling session about past adventures. Jongin does nothing to stop them, and Sehun is curious, too, so he listens, but his eyes keep wandering to Jongin who is sitting on a throne like chair that looks very much DIY. The boys probably built that chair together, using branches and leaves they would find in the forest surrounding them.  
  
Jongin looks pleased as the boys continue praising his bravery and his swordsmanship. But that’s not all it seems. Each of them – Baekhyun, Jongdae, Chanyeol – has their own story, on how they met Jongin and why they are following him now. It is because they have so much fun with a person like Jongin, and Sehun feels with them. He is happy, too, with just being around Jongin. Something about Jongin just makes him feel at ease. It’s probably Jongin’s confidence and optimism, paired with that blinding smile.  
  
“Jongin has the best ideas,” Baekhyun whispers to him when Sehun is almost dozing off. They don’t have proper beds here, only makeshift ones made out of a bunch of leaves and furs, but it is cozy nonetheless. Sehun has no complaints.  
  
“Jongin keeps coming up with the best games.”  
  
“What kind of games?” Sehun mumbles. He has already closed his eyes and it feels like a matter of seconds until he’s fast asleep. Though, how strange is that? Why would he sleep inside a dream? Is he going to dream within this dream? There is no time to think about that though. Sehun’s consciousness blacks out after he hears Baekhyun’s predictions of a new adventure with Jongin tomorrow.  
  
  
  
  
  
The next morning, Sehun wakes up feeling hungry. He is not the only one though. All of the boys are complaining about hunger, and so they decide to go on a hunt. Sehun feels a bit queasy about that since he doesn’t feel like killing animals to get some meat, but he has no other choice than to follow the Lost Boys who are chanting “meat, meat, meat”. He is definitely no vegetarian, but he doesn’t like to see bloody animal corpses.  
  
“I want to eat tender chicken breast,” Baekhyun says, already salivating at the thought. Sehun seconds that thought, but at the same time he thinks about what they would have to do here, out in the jungle, to catch a chicken, and that thought makes him feel a little sick. He shudders and promptly bumps into the person walking in front of him.  
  
“Sehun, pay attention!” Jongdae snickers from behind him and Sehun feels his face warming up. Yeah, he should probably watch where he is going and listen to instructions. Jongin is out there flying in the front, while the rest of the boys have been following him in one line, just like a bunch of tiny chicks following their mother hen.  
  
“Alright, boys,” Jongin says and he is hovering above them now, his hands on his hips. His tone is like one of a general in charge of the front line. Maybe that is all part of their game, the adventure that Jongin has planned out for the day. He faintly remembers Baekhyun telling him that there are different activities each day, which is why living in Neverland with Jongin is so fun for everyone! Sehun is still suspicious of hunting as a fun activity, but he goes with the flow.  
  
“We are assembled here to start today’s activity: a hunt!” Jongin says, and he sounds so excited that it’s just a tiny bit contagious. “Krys and I have prepared today’s food, but we hid it somewhere, so if you want more than just the fruits and veggies here in the jungle, you gotta find the treasure.”  
  
“Oh, a treasure hunt!” Chanyeol exclaims and claps his hands.  
  
“Ready to lose today as well?” Jongdae challenges him. It seems like it’s not the first time they are doing this type of treasure hunt.  
  
“Attention, boys!” Jongin shouts then. He shakes his head disapprovingly and Sehun is surprised to see the Lost Boys with a somewhat ashamed expression. They idolize Jongin too much for their own good, he thinks, slightly amused. Jongin has them all wrapped around his finger, and he feels like he might become like one of them, too. If he stays here for too long, he might become one of Jongin’s pawns.  
  
“There are four treasure bags hidden somewhere around the headquarters,” Jongin explains. “You are free to find as many as you like. The game is over once all bags are found. Understood?”  
  
“Yes, Sir,” the Lost Boys reply in unison and salute. Sehun, too, lifts his hand for a salute, still a bit estranged by how serious the others are taking this game. It seems like Jongin has prepared their food already though, so there is no need for a real hunt. They just need to find bags with food, right? Except, Sehun has no clue what these bags are supposed to look like, nor does he know this place well. He is at a disadvantage here.  
  
“Hey, but what about this rookie?” Chanyeol asks. He seems to share the sentiments and Sehun quietly thanks the other for worrying about him.  
  
“He’s playing, too,” Jongin says and grins. “No pain, no gain. If you want nice food, you better work hard for it. So… ready, steady, go!”  
  
All of a sudden, the other boys are yelling and running off in different directions to look for the treasure. Only Sehun is left in the middle of the jungle with a frown on his face. How is he supposed to compete with a bunch of pros?  
  
“Are you not going to play?” Jongin asks. Jongin is still up in the air with Krys sitting on his shoulder. It annoys Sehun a bit that he is not the one in control of this situation. How come Jongin doesn’t have to participate?  
  
“What about you? Are you not playing?” He returns the question, arms crossed in front of his chest.  
  
“Nah, that’d be no fair if the game master is participating, too,” Jongin just laughs. “You’d all lose within two minutes. You better hurry and find your treasure. You don’t want to skip a meal, do you?”  
  
Sehun sighs, but he starts moving now, too. He is not very optimistic about winning a prize, but there’s nothing else to do. Besides, Jongin is still around to watch and help him out if needed, right? At least that’s what it seems like since Jongin keeps following him, even as he moves deeper into the jungle.  
  
Sehun keeps looking around for something, but he isn’t entirely sure what he is expecting. Just simple bags? Brown or cream-colored ones? Or are they made of leaves? There are palm trees with huge leaves here that would be ideal to use as wrapping paper of some sort. The treasure could also be locked in a wooden chest though.  
  
“Hey Jongin,” he says as he crawls into a suspicious looking bush, hoping to find a treasure there, but apart from a few frightened birds and insects fleeing from the disturbance, he finds nothing. “What do those bags even look like?”  
  
“Like bags,” Jongin replies and Sehun keeps himself from rolling his eyes. Well, that was not helpful, but what is he expecting? If the game master helps him, a newbie at this game, the other boys might be complaining about cheating.  
  
Sehun crawls pack onto the path he has been following and gets up. He puts his hands on his hips as well and stares up at Jongin.  
  
“You know, I’d rather you give us food and put something else as prize,” Sehun huffs. “I’m hungry and I think the boys are super hungry, too.”  
  
“Boo, party pooper,” Jongin says and laughs. He flies off, probably to monitor one of the other boys. Sehun is left there in the midst of green, and he doesn’t know if he still thinks that this game is fun. It’s definitely not when he is starving for food.  
  
So instead of looking for the bags, Sehun embarks on a mission to find something edible instead. Except, he doesn’t know which of all these exotic looking fruits are not poisonous. He faintly remembers reading somewhere that the most colorful and delicious looking fruits could also contain poison. The safest bet would be to choose some sort of fruit that other animals could eat, too.  
  
“Hey, Sehun, catch this!” Jongin says. Sehun looks up and yelps, his hands going up to cover his head because Jongin just dropped something. From that height, if it hit him in the head, he would probably be knocked unconscious or worse. Luckily though, Jongin missed. Instead, that object landed in front of his feet and Sehun picks it up.  
  
“What’s this?” He asks and eyes the strange object. He can’t tell what this dark violet ball is. It is about the size of a football and feels rather heavy in his hand. As he shakes it, he can hear some noise. It seems like there is something hidden inside of that thing.  
  
“Open it,” Jongin says, but how is he supposed to open this thing? Maybe he could drop it on a rock and hope that the impact will shatter the shell to reveal what is inside? He would need some pixie dust for that, though. After all, his arms are not strong enough to throw this heavy thing with enough force.  
  
“Can I borrow Krys for a bit?” Sehun asks, but even without Jongin’s permission, the pixie comes flying to him.  
  
“Krys, he asked me, not you!” Jongin says and crosses his arms in front of his chest. He looks offended, but the pixie just flutters her wings and spreads some pixie dust onto Sehun. And when he looks closer, he finds her laughing and he thinks that small tinkling sound might be a pixie’s laughter.  
  
Sehun tries to focus on the warm, happy feelings, and not a moment later he is already up in the air. Jongin is shaking his head and mumbling something along the lines of  _too handsome for his own good_ , obviously jealous that the females in Neverland have taken a liking to Sehun so quickly. Sehun can only chuckles at that and moves on to find a rock to drop this heavy luggage onto.  
  
It takes a few minutes for him to find a suitable place. He throws the thing with all his might and flinches at the sound of the impact. Well, that was loud. He is not the only one surprised by that. From up there, he can see animals close by moving away from where he dropped that… thing??  
  
It seems like Jongin has brought him some exotic fruit. Sehun lands right next to where the shell of that fruit has broken into a million pieces that are now glittering in the sun. Krys is right next to him and Jongin, too, is already picking up what seems like marbles.  
  
“Try this, it’s yummy,” Jongin says, all offense already blown away. Jongin is smiling at him, one of those marbles between two fingers that are getting way too close to Sehun’s face. Jongin is tapping on his lips with that, and Sehun unwillingly parts his lips to eat it. Jongin is right though. Whatever this is, it’s pretty good. He can’t quite describe the flavor. It has some fruity, exotic aroma, and Sehun is surprised to find his hunger being sated quickly after just a dozen of these.  
  
“What do you call these?” Sehun asks. He has taken off his shirt to use it as a makeshift bag for all the fruit he is picking off the ground. Jongin eyes him with amusement, but doesn’t comment on it. Both Jongin and Krys are kind enough to help him collect.  
  
“No idea,” Jongin says. “But it’s really good to eat this when you’re really hungry.”  
  
“Where do these kinds of food even exist,” Sehun asks and shakes his head. “This is way too good to be true.”  
  
“In Neverland of course,” Jongin chuckles, and Sehun remembers that they are not on just any island. Jongin has taken him to a fantastic world full of colorful and unknown things. Perhaps it’s because Jongin is such a fun and creative person that the realms of Jongin’s dream – he supposes that Neverland is conjured up by Jongin – is a much better place than Sehun’s. He is a bit jealous of that.  
  
“Now that you’re less hungry, you should try to catch up with the other boys,” Jongin says. “Jongdae already found one treasure.”  
  
“That’s fine,” Sehun smiles. He isn’t competitive enough to feel the need to win. Besides, as a newbie, he prefers to explore his surroundings first to get familiar to this place. It feels like he won’t wake up from this dream anytime soon.  
  
  
  
  
  
In the end, as predicted, Chanyeol couldn’t find any bags. Jongdae has found three while Baekhyun is happy to carry one back to the headquarters. And since it’s a sunny day, they decide to stay outside for their picknick.  
  
Those bags look like ordinary bags. There is nothing special about them, they are just linen ones, filled to the brim with dishes that Sehun can’t even imagine Jongin to cook. There are simpler ones, like Kimbap rolls, but he can also see pork cutlet and Baekhyun’s favorite grilled chicken as well. Sehun doesn’t think he has seen a kitchen around here, but the even bigger mystery would be how Jongin could find all the ingredients to make these dishes.  
  
As the other boys are eating, Sehun is examining the bags, hoping to find his answer there. But these are ordinary bags for sure. There is no black hole inside. As he turns them inside out, he can only find crumbs of the food.  
  
“What are you doing?” Jongin asks and gently bumps into his side. He is offering Sehun a chicken leg, which the boy gladly accepts.  
  
“Trying to figure out where you got the food from,” Sehun says after a few bites, but he doesn’t think that Jongin would reveal his secret so easily.  
  
“Oh that,” Jongin says and chuckles. “I’ll show you some other time.”  
  
Sehun just nods and decides to enjoy the food. He shouldn’t be worrying or thinking too much. Whatever Jongin is going to show him will most likely surprise and overwhelm him again, and he is already looking forward to discover more of this new strange world called Neverland.  
  
  
  
  
  
As promised, Jongin takes him to the next area of Neverland a few days later. Sehun is still trying to get familiar with their surroundings, but even after playing hide and seek with the boys for hours, the jungle around their headquarters looks the same to him everywhere. If it wasn’t for Jongin monitoring them all from above or Krys following him around whenever Jongin was away, he would probably have gotten lost in the jungle. And while he hasn’t seen any dangerous animals there, he couldn’t be too sure. As much fun as there is, Neverland surely has dangerous places as well. Captain Hook’s ship, for example, seems to be a bad place, mostly because the captain hates Jongin’s guts.  
  
“Alright, Jongin, but where exactly are we going now?” Sehun asks. He is a bit miffed because all the other guys already know the destination and he is the only one left out, just because he’s the rookie in this group.  
  
“You’ll see that for yourself in a bit,” Jongin says.  
  
“Yeah, stop whining already,” Baekhyun says and Sehun is quick to shove the other just because. It’s childish, but the more time Sehun spends here the more he feels like he could just turn back to his carefree days when being childish wasn’t a reason for people to frown at him or make fun of him. All of the Lost Boys are somewhat childish, especially their leader who seems to be the most child-like among them. Jongin might be a hero, a good fighter and the group’s guardian, but that didn’t change the fact that he is still a kid. Sehun still thinks of himself as a bit more mature than them.  
  
“Aren’t we a group?” Sehun asks and shakes his head. “Why would you keep a secret from a group member?”  
  
“It’s not a secret,” Baekhyun says and rolls his eyes. “It’s a surprise. A  _surprise_! Don’t you know what that is?”  
  
“Yeah, but who said I wanted to be surprised?” Sehun retorts.  
  
“Guys, guys, guys,” Jongin says. He seems to be a bit tired of all the bickering from the back, and in that one moment he seems a bit more mature, like a father driving his kids to school, but as he does, the kids can’t stop fighting in the backseats. It must be annoying, and Sehun doesn’t mind annoying Jongin a bit further. He might just reveal where they are going.  
  
“So where is this super cool place that is supposed to be a surprise?” Sehun asks Jongin.  
  
“Just a few more minutes,” Jongin says. He gestures to the pixie and Krys quickly flies across the air, fluttering her pretty wings to distribute some of that magical golden dust. Sehun is the first to react and to hover above the ground. And when Jongin nods, the other boys are going up as well, one of them pushing Sehun from the back while the other two – Baekhyun and Jongdae – are taking one of Sehun’s hands each.  
  
“Wait, what are you planning t-“ Sehun yells and struggles to break free, but the others are having none of that. So maybe, Sehun thinks, annoying the others wasn’t a good idea, but how could he know that it would turn into this.  
  
“Oh, Sehun, just you wait,” Jongin laughs, and Krys seems to be laughing as well. He can hear the soft tinkling of bells. “You’ll love what’s gonna happen next.”  
  
“I am sure I won’t,” Sehun says and thrashes around, but to no avail. The Lost Boys are pushing him higher up, through fluffy clouds, then through a thick fog, until they a floating island in the sky. A very colorful island floating in the sky.  
  
“Where is this?” Sehun asks, once again in awe at what Jongin’s dream has to offer. If Neverland was the ideal paradise for adventures, then this would be the land of dreams for anyone who loves sweets and good foods.  
  
“This is Schlaraffenland,” Jongin says, obviously satisfied with himself. He didn’t promise too much. Sehun likes what he sees – all kinds of foods growing on the trees. It is a strange sight, all those plates and bowls hanging on the trees, but he supposes it’s only practical like that. How else could one easily pick up the food to carry back to Neverland to eat?  
  
The ground they are walking on seems to be a mix of cake and cotton candy. There is a soda river, too, and from afar he can see a chocolate lake – either chocolate or coffee. He can’t quite discern all the foods and aromas he is smelling. It’s like an onslaught of good smells, pleasant, but almost too much.  
  
“Is this where you get the food?” Sehun asks Jongin, and the other nods. Jongin gestures at him, inviting him to venture further onto these strange lands, so Sehun does. He follows Baekhyun, a happy skip in his steps as he heads towards that one tree bearing boxes of fried chicken as fruit.  
  
“Chicken maniac,” Sehun laughs, but moments later his laughter stops as he is being pushed hard enough for him to stumble a few steps back and falling into the soda river. Sehun splutters as he resurfaces and he makes a grimace. He has never planned on bathing in a soft drink, for one, the stickiness that would come with all the sugar, and two, the strong fizz that wouldn’t feel pleasant, in contrast to the softer bubbles of a bath bomb.  
  
“Baekhyun you little shit!” Sehun yells and he pays it back by splashing the soda onto Baekhyun and onto his precious fried chicken. And bingo. As he expected, not even Baekhyun likes his fried chicken being soaked with lemonade.  
  
“Who is the little shit here!” Baekhyun screams and jumps into the river, uncaring that he would get his clothes and hair and everything sticky, too. And after Baekhyun joins, Chanyeol and Jongdae join, too, with loud screams that sound like war cries rather than kids playing a game.  
  
“Jongin, help!” Sehun laughs as the boys are chasing after him to revenge Baekhyun’s spoilt food. He doesn’t expect Jongin to come to his side and support him, but Jongin does. He flies over and reaches out his hands to pull Sehun up into the air and out of reach of the other boys.  
  
“This is crazy!” Sehun says and shakes his head, still unable to comprehend the world around him. Jongin has brought them to the other side of the island where the Lost Boys would need some time to catch up with.  
  
“Why? How is this crazy?” Jongin chuckles. “This is paradise on earth, no?”  
  
“It is,” Sehun says. He lays down on his back and wonders why the cotton candy doesn’t dissolve at contact. How can it be sturdy enough to carry his weight? It is absurd, but since this is all a dream, nothing needs to make sense.  
  
“I wish this dream will continue forever,” Sehun whispers and closes his eyes.  
  
“You don’t need to wish for it,” Jongin replies, his tone as quiet as Sehun’s. “Just stay here with us.”  
  
“I will, as long as I can,” Sehun promises, but he is already sad. He knows that at some point, every dream ends. He will wake up and face reality again, sooner or later.  
  
  
  
  
  
“So, what would you like to do today?” Jongin asks. It’s one of those incredibly hot summer days that kills everyone’s will to get up and move around. Not even the usually so cheerful and active Baekhyun wants to move an inch today. All of the boys are sprawled around the ground, napping in the shadows of the trees. They could have stayed in their headquarters, but Chanyeol complained about how boring it would be to spend all day inside, and thus they moved here. Not that they are doing anything, and Sehun isn’t very willing to get up from his spot either. Unless-  
  
“Hey, how about visiting the mermaids?” Sehun suggests. Being underwater must be nice on a day like this. And maybe they could show him other landscapes in the depths of the sea this time. They might even find and visit other living beings under the sea. Perhaps whales? Though, Sehun wonders if there are also dangerous creatures such as sharks, though it is hard to imagine anything bad to happen here. It’s been weeks and other than playful banter and fighting among the boys, there has been no conflicts – no real fights. All those stories about Jongin saving the Lost Boys from pirates seem to be no more than heroic tales.  
  
“Someone’s whipped,” Jongin just remarks. The other boys are whistling, obviously knowing what Jongin is talking about.  
  
“The question is who is not whipped,” Chanyeol says. He has a stupidly dreamy smile on his face. “Irene is the prettiest person you could ever find on this whole whole world. Let’s go visit her today.”  
  
“Oh, come on,” Baekhyun groans. “She’s not interested in you. And the underwater world is pretty boring. Going there once or twice, okay, but we’ve been there so often!”  
  
“Exactly!” Jongdae agrees. “Let’s do something more fun, something more adventurous.”  
  
“Then how about we pay a visit to our dear old friend, Mr. Caption Hook?” Jongin suggests. There is that glint in his eyes, and as much as Sehun wants to protest, he knows it is futile. Once Jongin has set out a plan he will go through with that plan, no matter how much everyone else is trying to resist.  
  
“Do I have to tag along?” Sehun sighs.  
  
“But of course!” Jongin and the Lost Boys reply in unison.  
  
“They gotta know the newest member of the Lost Boys,” Baekhyun says.  
  
“Yes, it’s only polite to greet your neighbors,” Jongin reasons, and thus it is settled. No matter how much Sehun complains about being tired or that they could wait for another day to visit, the other four won’t listen. Krys is twirling around him with a worried expression on her face, her hands gesturing wildly in the air. She, too, seems to be rather unhappy about visiting Captain Hook, but it’s not Sehun who she needs to convince. It is Jongin, who keeps going forward, and the other boys who are dragging Sehun to come along.  
  
“Well then,” Sehun mumbles. “Let’s hope Captain Hook won’t pick a fight today.”  
  
  
  
  
  
The Lost Boys weren’t exaggerating when they described Captain Hook’s ship. It is definitely bigger than what Sehun has imagined, and a lot fancier. In his mind, he has drawn the picture of a stinky old ship full of old men, but Captain Hook is, in fact, not even that old. Maybe a man in his thirties? He does have a funny mustache though, and his outfit is rather ridiculous. He looks exactly like one of those Western pirates on old paintings from the seventeenth or eighteenth century.  
  
“Do we really have to sneak onto that ship?” Sehun whispers. They are currently still hiding in the bushes, close to the shore where Captain Hook’s ship is anchored. The captain and his crew are currently having a barbecue on the shore, and for now they don’t seem so hostile. They seem jolly, and Sehun wonders if they would still be this friendly if Jongin was to show up. From what he has heard, Captain Hook and his crew must hate Jongin a lot.  
  
“Well, Sehun,” Jongin says and chuckles. “It’s no fun if we’re not making a dare. And since Baekhyun dared you to sneak onto the ship and steal their flag, you should do that or do you want to lose the boys’ respect?”  
  
“Yes, exactly,” Chanyeol whispers. “Do you want to be called chicken from now on?”  
  
Sehun doesn’t. But he also doesn’t feel like doing anything remotely dangerous. He prefers sticking to the harmless kind of fun, like visiting Schlaraffenland or the mermaids. Even petting sleeping dragons seems safer than confronting dozens of half-drunk men who are armed with swords and daggers. Some of them might even carry guns with them and that thought alone makes him want to return back to the safety of their headquarters. Maybe it’s better to let the boys call him chicken for a while, until they get bored of it.  
  
“No backing out now,” Jongin says. “I’ll help you, don’t worry. It’s going to be fun.”  
  
“Alright,” Sehun gives in. After all, Jongin has always been right – mostly, at least – about the things he has claimed.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Some more pixie dust before we can go," Jongin whispers and Krys, reliable as usual, is quick to do her magic. She shakes off those light particles and gives Sehun a sweet, encouraging smile.  
  
"Should I go first?" Sehun asks, still a bit intimidated by the task given to him. The pirates are still distracted by the food, but once they see him it might be game over. This might be the last day in Neverland. If the pirates catch and kill him, he will die, and death in a dream will mean waking up, right?  
  
"Please do," Jongin replies. "I'm just the support, so I'll jump in if you need help."  
  
"You can do it," Baekhyun cheers him up.  
  
"If you manage to steal their pirate flag, we will vote you to be the second leader," Chanyeol promises. "We won't demote Jongin, but you will be the one in command when Jongin isn't around."  
  
Well, that doesn't sound so bad. Sehun thanks the guys and embarks on his mission. Maybe, if he flies high up in the sky, the drunkards down there might not even notice him. He just needs to be quiet and not cause a ruckus as he moves and all should be fine. Except, nothing goes as planned.  
  
The moment he moves, albeit careful, the bushes they are hiding in must have moved too much as well, catching the attention of none other than Captain Hook. And even though Sehun isn't Jongin, clearly, any teenage boy seems to be an enemy to the old captain.  
  
"Catch him!" Captain Hook shouts, and all the pirates stop and stare for a second, confused, before they storm over to where Sehun is hovering above the bushes with drawn daggers and swords.  
  
"Fuck," Sehun cusses. His only thought is to lead those men away from where the Lost Boys are currently hiding, and luckily, those pirates are following after him. How simple-minded, he thinks, and heads over to the ship, flying higher and higher as the first men start to throw their daggers at him. Sehun dodges them, probably with much less grace than Jongin would, but at least it does the job. He feels invincible in this moment, knowing that those pirates can't harm him when he is up there.  
  
"Well then, let's finish the task," Sehun tells himself, and not a minute later he holds up the pirate flag and waves it in the air. He kinds of understands Jongin now. It is fun to have the upper hand, and it surely is fun to annoy these adults who keep underestimating teenagers.  
  
“Give it back, you brat!” Captain Hook roars and that does sound a bit scary, but Sehun is up here, nothing bad could happen to him, right? Not to mention that Jongin is still around, so even if anything were to happen, his friend would come to the rescue immediately.  
  
“Never,” Sehun taunts the pirate captain. “Why don’t you give up the thug life? You’re getting old, Mr. Hook. You should settle down.”  
  
And maybe Sehun has crossed a line there because next thing he knows there comes a dagger flying with such precision that despite dodging it, it still grazes his arm and fuck, does it hurt. Are dreams supposed to feel so realistic? He drops the flag and holds his injured arm, and as more daggers and stones are thrown at him, he tries his best to dodge.  
  
If it weren’t for Jongin coming up to help and pull him away, higher and higher up and above the clouds, then maybe this adventure would have ended with more than a simple cut. Sehun shouldn’t have recklessly done a thing that suits only a confident and experienced boy like Jongin. Actually, Sehun shouldn’t have accepted the dare in the first place.  
  
“Shit, you’re bleeding a lot,” Jongin says. They are taking a rest on a cloud now with Jongin examining the wound. Sehun is still somewhat in a shock. His mind is racing with all kinds of thoughts, but most of all, he can’t believe how real everything felt – the adrenaline, the fear, and most of all the pain.  
  
“How come this is hurting like hell if it’s all just a dream?” Sehun words out his thoughts. Jongin looks back at him, a contemplative look on his face, but he stays still for another while in favor of treating the wound. Jongin has taken off his shirt to rip out a piece of fabric to use as makeshift compress.  
  
“We gotta make do with this,” Jongin mumbles and looks up. He is giving Sehun an encouraging smile, but Sehun doesn’t feel like smiling back. The happiness and excitement he has felt for the past few days and weeks, they are all gone.  
  
“Jongin,” Sehun says quietly. “This is all just a dream, right?”  
  
Jongin keeps silent for another while, and the longer it takes for the other to answer, the more anxious Sehun gets. Eventually, Jongin speaks up.  
  
“Why are you so fixated on that thought?” Jongin asks back. “What makes you think that all of this is just a dream?”  
  
“Because-“ Sehun starts, and he really has no explanation why the world he is in now, this world with Jongin and the boys, would be nothing but a dream. How could he know if this life is real or if the other life, the boring, mundane life at the boarding school is the real one? Still, some piece of information is missing if Jongin is so hesitant to talk about it, so Sehun has to ask again.  
  
“If Neverland is real, then does that mean that my other life with my family, with my friends – is that other life a dream?”  
  
The question seems to weigh down the atmosphere. Sehun can feel the tension in the air. He doesn’t even need to look at Jongin to know the answer. He can feel it.  
  
“Both are real, am I correct?”  
  
“Yes,” Jongin finally admits.  
  
“I’ve been here for too long then,” Sehun says. He can feel a headache coming up. If he has spent the past weeks here, then that would mean that he has gone missing in what he still considers the real world. His family and friends must be worried about him, and not to mention all the weeks of classes that he has missed. How is he going to make it to the top universities if he has missed so many days?  
  
“Fuck, I need to go back,” Sehun says and gets up, only to be pulled back by Jongin.  
  
“No, please don’t leave again,” Jongin murmurs and holds on like a child scared of the parent leaving for good.  
  
“Jongin, I really need to go back,” Sehun says and sighs. He tries to pry off the other with gentle hands, but it’s in vain. Jongin is clinging to his injured arm, and Sehun isn’t keen on fighting the other like that. Sooner or later Jongin would let go of him anyways.  
  
“Stay with us,” Jongin says, but Sehun can only shake his head.  
  
“I have my life over there,” he explains. “My family, my friends. They are all waiting. They must miss me a lot.”  
  
“Am I not your friend?” Jongin asks then. He looks so small and vulnerable right now that it feels odd. This is not the Jongin he knows. The Jongin he knows has no weaknesses. He would never show anyone his weak side. But perhaps the bond between him and Jongin is different. For some reason Jongin has been seeking him out and since the beginning Jongin has treated him differently from the other Lost Boys.  
  
“We are friends,” Sehun says, hesitant. “I can come visit you again after my exams.”  
  
“No, you can’t,” Jongin says and shakes his head. “It will be past your eighteenth birthday in the other world, so you won’t be able to return. Neverland is a place only children have access to. We won’t see each other again if you leave and don’t return soon.”  
  
“What do you mean?” Sehun asks and shakes his head. It doesn’t make any sense to him. There are still adults in Neverland, like Captain Hook and his men. Why wouldn’t Sehun be able to return?  
  
“Only children can use pixie dust to fly,” Jongin explains. “Once you’re of age, you won’t be able to come here anymore. There is a magical barrier preventing people from coming and leaving, too.”  
  
“So be it, then,” Sehun says. He brushes off Jongin’s hands as the other’s grip loosens. “I had fun here, but… you know, there are things I want to do in the real world. Playing all day is all nice and good, but it’s not what I’ve always wanted to do.”  
  
“The real world sucks,” Jongin tries again. “The adult world sucks. I know that you know that, too.”  
  
“Even so, that’s where I belong,” Sehun retorts. “I’ve had fun, here, and I really like you. You’re a good guy, a good friend. But while Neverland might be an ideal place for you, it’s not for me. The real world might be cruel, but I still want to fight the cruelty. If everyone is leaving like you, who else is left to turn that world into a better one?”  
  
“Sehun, please, don’t leave me again,” Jongin begs. “Let’s stay here and make up for all the lost years. Remember? I’m Jongin, your best friend Jongin from kindergarten. Back then in Jinju.”  
  
Sehun faintly remembers spending a lot of time with one particular person in his childhood. Maybe that is why the name Jongin has always sounded so strangely familiar. And the feeling, too. It’s not the first time they have met, Sehun’s intuition has recognized Jongin immediately.  
  
“When you moved away, we still met up here in Neverland,” Jongin continues. “But one day you stopped coming.”  
  
Sehun doesn’t remember that part. His childhood memories are hazy as he moved from one place to another. Maybe that’s how he got lost, unable to find his way to Neverland? Sehun has never been good with directions after all.  
  
“I’m sorry for that,” Sehun apologizes quietly. But still. He can’t just stay here and spend all his days doing nothing. Surely, they are going to have fun with all the games and adventures, and there is still so much to discover in this world, but that is not Sehun’s goal in life. He wants to be productive and somehow contribute to the world, or at least the society he is living in.  
  
“I still need to leave today,” he says and slaps Jongin’s hand away when the other reaches out for him.  
  
“I’m sorry. I am happy that you were still looking for me. That you still wanted us to stay best friends,” Sehun says. “But I can’t leave everything just to stay here. On this island, I will never be able to grow up and become a proper adult, right?”  
  
“Sehun-“  
  
“Jongin,” Sehun starts again and shakes his head. “I have already made my decision. I will return to my old life. And if you do, too, perhaps we could see each other again? There, in the real world. I would like to see what Jongin is doing in that other life of his, when he’s not this cocky leader of a troupe of brats.”  
  
“Hey,” Jongin huffs. He is smiling weakly at the jab, but Sehun knows that he has hurt the other’s feelings. Baekhyun, Jongdae, Chanyeol. Those three will probably be disappointed in him, too. That is why he should go now instead of facing the others. He doesn’t want to be guilt tripped into staying just for the sake of friendship. These four people aren’t the only friends in his life.  
  
“Take good care of the boys,” Sehun says and pats Jongin’s back. “And try to be less reckless. Don’t play these dangerous games. Since this is another real world… fighting with Captain Hook might get you hurt for real, so stay away from him, okay? Promise me that?”  
  
Jongin doesn’t reply. He has a sulky expression on his face, and for the first time Sehun wonders how long Jongin has been here. Why wouldn’t Jongin and the other guys go home to their families? To their friends? Though, by Jongin’s expression he can make his guesses. There might be no one for them to return to. Unlike Sehun, they might not have the privilege of an intact family and an intact home.  
  
“I’m sorry for disappointing you,” Sehun says. “And please forwards that to the others as well. Thanks for everything.”  
  
When Sehun lifts off the cloud, Jongin doesn’t try to stop him again. Sehun is tempted to look back, but he knows how weak he is at the sight of sad people. He might end up staying here just to comfort Jongin, and that isn’t an option. He can’t waste any more time idling in this realm.


	3. Chapter 3

 

When Sehun returns to the dorms, he is surprised to find no one worried about his whereabouts. Or well, the only one freaking out is Kyungsoo, his poor roommate, who is still questioning him about his two days of absence. It seems like time passes by more slowly in Neverland. A week seems to be only a day in the real world, and Sehun’s almost three weeks are only almost three days here.  
  
But what is Sehun supposed to tell Kyungsoo? That he was kidnapped by his childhood friend? To some sort of parallel fantasy world? Kyungsoo would most likely send him off to a psychiatrist then. So in the end, no matter how much Kyungsoo bugs him, he keeps his mouth shut, and after about a dozen attempts to get him to talk, Kyungsoo gives up. But only after forcing Sehun to take over all the cleaning duties of their room and bathroom.  
  
“I had to cover your ass for the whole weekend,” Kyungsoo grumbles at him. “Do you know how stressful it was to talk to the dorm leaders whenever they asked about your whereabouts? You’re lucky they trust me and didn’t get suspicious, but next time, I won’t do this anymore.”  
  
“Yeah, thanks, Soo,” Sehun says and grimaces at the sight of their bathroom. At times like this he wishes he was rooming with that clean freak Minseok. Even if Sehun was on cleaning duty, there wouldn’t be much to do. His roommate would still do all the cleaning. At least that’s what he has heard from Minseok’s roommate.  
  
  
  
  
  
It feels weird to be back in his old life after spending so much time with Jongin. Neverland has been one great adventure, and in the moments of boredom and frustration – mostly when he is about to give up on his studies and school works – he keeps playing with the thought of returning there, to Jongin who will most likely be elated to have him back. But is that the right thing to do? Sehun knows that it is rather cowardly to hide in such an ideal world, a world that works without money, without power, without the things that keeps the society here going. And if there are other young people willing to challenge the real world with all its problems and unfairness, then Sehun should do that, too.  
  
“Sehun, focus,” he mumbles to himself. It is late night and he is sitting alone in his dorm room. Kyungsoo has gone out for a change, not for socializing, but for family matters. He has been given permission to leave the dorms for the night, so Sehun has no one to bother if he is stuck on a question.  
  
“Just one more page and you can go to bed,” he tries to motivate himself, but the sleepiness is taking over. His bed is more tempting than his desk at the moment, and without Kyungsoo as his moral support, he succumbs easily. Sehun turns out the light and slips into bed. He is about to doze off when there’s some sort of insect bothering him. A firefly? He can see some lights flickering, right in front of his eyes and tries to swat it away, but it won’t budge. Instead, that tiny thing is clutching into him and  _ouch_. He just got bitten.  
  
Sehun opens his eyes and sits up, irritated. It is then that he realizes it’s not an insect, no. It is the pixie, Krys, who is now gesturing wildly. Sehun doesn’t understand, it’s Jongin who understand the pixie language, but the more she keeps moving around, the more agitated Sehun feels. Something bad must have happened, perhaps? Or has Jongin just sent her in an attempt to get Sehun to return to Neverland?  
  
The pixie continues gesturing, but even Krys is getting frustrated now since Sehun shows no sign of understanding. She flutters around the room and stops on Sehun’s desk where she takes the pencil to draw, and if Sehun dare to say, it is a rather nice drawing. Krys has lots more talent for that than Sehun, that is for sure.  
  
Sehun watches as Krys draws a person with an incredibly large hat and a hook as an arm – that must be Captain Hook – and a boy in a cage in front of him. That boy looks a lot like Jongin, and that is when Sehun understands the dire situation his friend is in. He must have been captured by the enemy!  
  
Despite saying that he would not return to Neverland ever again, what with Sehun being busy studying for exams, he could still not leave a friend in need of help alone. And knowing that those pirates mean real harm – they are revengeful and full of bloodlust and hate towards Jongin. Who knows what is happening to his friend right now? If Sehun doesn’t act, Jongin might die. Neverland is a real world after all, and not simply a dream.  
  
“Alright Krys,” Sehun says. “Lend me some pixie dust. I gotta go save Jongin.”  
  
Krys nods her head energetically and dances around the air. Her wings are fluttering fast, faster than usual, and once she is done covering Sehun in pixie dust, she sits down on Sehun’s shoulder, exhausted.  
  
“Thanks,” Sehun mumbles. He quickly stuffs a few pillows under his blanket, just in case the dorm leaders are coming in to check up on him, and then he opens the window to leave. It is hard to think of happy thoughts in this moment, but Sehun forces himself to. He does his best remembering all the fun he had, the laughter with Jongin, the playful banter with Baekhyun. Those thoughts keep him going, flying higher and higher up into the sky, following the directions that Krys is showing him.  
  
  
  
  
  
It might be dark night for the people in Seoul, but Neverland is greeting him with the nicest weather – sunshine and a mild breeze to offer relief from the heat. It is around noon, Sehun supposes, and he is having a déjà vu, again hiding in the bushes close to the shore where Captain Hook’s ship is anchored. Except this time, he can’t see any of the pirates lounging on the beach. They all seem to be on the ship and celebrating, most likely celebrating the capture of their most hated enemy Jongin.  
  
“So, what’s the plan?” Sehun asks Krys because he has no idea what to do. He is not Jongin, he has no idea how to be a hero. All he knows is that he needs to do something or Jongin’s life is in danger.  
  
Krys is only staring at him with a hopeful expression. As if Sehun could come up with something.  
  
“What about the boys?” Sehun asks and Krys nods her head, pointing to his left. As Sehun looks more closely, he thinks he can see the bushes moving in an odd way. There must be people hiding inside, and it is most likely that those boys are waiting for some sort of leader to come and guide them. They must have been the ones sending Krys out to find him and bring him here.  
  
“Alright then,” Sehun says and sighs. “Krys, do you have a set of Jongin’s clothes? Let me pretend to be Jongin and lure them out, and the boys will most likely attack them, too. Meanwhile you try to free Jongin, okay? He is probably locked up, so try to open the lock and the rest should be easy.”  
  
The pixie nods her head and dashes off to do her part.  
  
“Now, this is going to be fun,” Sehun sighs. He is really not looking forward to deal with these brutes again, but he has no other choice. He just hopes that the pirates are stupid enough to fall for his trick, otherwise there is no hope for Jongin.  
  
  
  
  
  
“Damn,” Sehun huffs. His plan has somehow worked out. Maybe it’s because all those men are already drunk at this early hour of the day, but even Captain Hook has mistaken him for Jongin when he was dancing around in the air above them and mocking them. This time Sehun was smart enough to stay far, far away from them, high enough for whatever it is that they are throwing not to touch him.  
  
Taunting them was the easy part. Once he provoked them enough, they all started chasing after him when he headed towards the jungle. The only problem here is that he can’t keep an eye on all of them as the crowd wanders off in different directions on the search of him. Some might have returned to the ship, too tired to fight Sehun. Now he can only count on Krys to do her job and the Lost Boys to do theirs. They are supposed to fight off any of the pirates returning to their ship.  
  
“Jongin you little brat!” Captain Hook roars. “Where did you go? Come here and fight me fair and square!”  
  
Definitely not, Sehun thinks and keeps hiding on the tree. He just hopes that no one can spot him there until Jongin returns. Speaking of, isn’t that Jongin sneaking up on the captain? Reckless as usual, but Sehun prefers seeing an overconfident Jongin over the sad one that he has left behind. Still, he prefers the fights to be avoided, so he rustles the tree and shows himself in front of Captain Hook, surprising both the older man and his dear friend.  
  
“Jongin was still locked up on your ship,” Sehun says, the grin on his face one that he has copied from Jongin. “You were chasing after me the whole time, didn’t you know?”  
  
“You brat!” The Captain seethes. “Come down here and fight me! I do not allow such disrespect!”  
  
“Never!” Sehun just says and pulls grimaces. “Adults like you shouldn’t be fighting kids. Find someone your age to bully. And by the way, you might want to check up on Jongin. If you leave him alone for too long, he might burn down your ship. Don’t you see the smoke over there?”  
  
And true to his words, there is smoke in the direction of the beach. Captain Hook cusses and promises to kill him the next time they see each other, but for now, it seems like the pirate is more worried about his ship.  
  
Shaking his head, Sehun climbs down the tree. He stands there with arms crossed in front of his chest, his face showing displeasure, even as Jongin steps closer with a smile on his face, a smile that turns into a frown because Sehun isn’t showing signs of softening up.  
  
“Jongin, how come Captain Hook was able to capture you?” He asks. Sehun isn’t stupid. He knows that Jongin isn’t stupid either. In every fight, Jongin would win. He hasn’t seen Jongin fighting yet, but despite the exaggerated storytelling he trusts the Lost Boys to be telling the truth.  
  
“Well that,” Jongin starts quietly and stares down to his feet. “I thought you would come back to help me. And you did.”  
  
“Do you think I would come back permanently to keep you from doing stupid things?” Sehun asks. He sighs. He kind of understands Jongin not wanting to lose someone he deems important, but at the same time it is unreasonable to put yourself into danger in hopes of getting that person back. What if they aren’t returning? What if they simply don’t care?  
  
“Jongin, I told you before, I can’t do that,” Sehun says. “I want to live my life. I want to grow up and take responsibility.”  
  
“But why?” Jongin asks. “Adult life is no fun. It’s so boring. And adults, they forget about the most important things in life. They work, work, work all day and neglect everything else. I don’t want to grow up, and I don’t want you to grow up either. Please stay here in Neverland. Let’s stay like this for a long, long time.”  
  
It feels like it’s no use talking to Jongin like that. They both think too differently to find some sort of consensus. And while Sehun tries to be understanding about Jongin’s point of view, he can’t be understanding when Jongin is trying to impose his ideas on him.  
  
“Jongin, for the last time,” Sehun says. “No matter what happens, we will still be friends. Even if we don’t meet up, we will still be friends. I mean, I’m not going back to Neverland, but you can always find me there in the real world.”  
  
“Sehun, please,” Jongin pleads. “I can’t leave Neverland. I have turned eighteen in the other world. If I do, I won’t be able to come back. And I really don’t want to be in that other place. Can’t you stay here?”  
  
“Just for one more day,” Sehun gives in. “I will return then. I want to take the university entrance exams, and after that I will turn eighteen, too. I won’t come back to Neverland after today, so I guess… we can at least make some nice memories together?”  
  
“I guess so,” Jongin agrees, although it doesn’t sound like he is okay with this compromise. But that is the most Sehun could offer at the moment and there is no way he will budge from his decision. He wants to study psychology and help as many people as he can, but if he stays here in Neverland, he would never be able to do that.  
  
  
  
  
Sehun spends the last day in Neverland with visiting his most favorite places. The whole group is there to fill their stomachs with as much as they could in Schlaraffenland before they pay the mermaids a visit, mostly for Sehun to bid them farewell. Irene nods in understanding when he explains that he has found something he wants to do, and he can only do that in that other place. For their farewell, Irene gives Sehun a pearl that seems to glow a little.  
  
“Please keep this and don’t forget about her,” Jongin translates what the mermaid princess is trying to tell him. Sehun promises that he won’t. How could he? His first kiss was taken by a bold mermaid princess who wanted to show him the world hidden beneath the sea.  
  
They return back to the headquarters for a final farewell celebration. Suddenly, Sehun doesn’t feel all that happy and excited anymore. Now that it is close to the time for him to leave for real, he feels a little sad. It’s almost like the first time when he thought about waking up from this dream, but this time it is different. He knows that he won’t be able to enter this dreamlike world again.  
  
Nonetheless, he puts up a smile to not dampen the mood, and he watches Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Jongdae singing and dancing around the little bonfire they have lit up a few hundred meters away from their abode.  
  
“Jongin,” Sehun says and turns to the unusually quiet leader of the troupe.  
  
“Hm?”  
  
“Promise me to never act reckless again,” Sehun says. “So that I can always believe that you’re living happily and safely. Don’t annoy the captain and don’t pick fights, okay?”  
  
“Okay,” Jongin replies. Well, that was way too easy.  
  
“And you promise not to forget me, even if you make new friends,” Jongin adds quietly. He holds up his pinky finger and Sehun locks his with Jongin’s for a pinky promise. They smile at each other, but Krys is disrupting their moment by swirling in front of their faces, her hands gesturing towards the other three boys. That is their cue to join the loud trio, so Sehun and Jongin do.  
  
  
  
  
  
Sehun has finally graduated from high school. He is doing well, he supposes. The university entrance exam went alright, he thinks, though waiting for the results is making him feel restless. And in those moments of restlessness he often finds himself thinking about Jongin. He wonders if Jongin is okay. Is Jongin having fun? Is he still happy in Neverland? Is he keeping the promise?  
  
Sometimes, when he thinks about his friends in Neverland, he starts missing them a lot. He would like to go visit them and see them again, but then he reminds himself that he has chosen this path. There is no way back, no chance to turn back in time. And even if he could, he would definitely choose this path again. Because he can’t and doesn’t want to stop in time.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to whoever chose to read this fic until the end, and even greater thanks to those who chose to leave a comment.  
> The greatest thank you, however, belongs to our dear kaifect mods who have been endlessly patient.


End file.
